Jacksoul lead singer Haydain Neale died of lung cancer Sunday at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. Jacksoul lead singer Haydain Neale died of lung cancer Sunday at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. (Jacksoul website)

Juno Award-winning artist Haydain Neale of the R&B band Jacksoul died Sunday at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital after a private, seven-month battle with lung cancer.

Neale's family announced his death on his website Monday.

The Hamilton-born Neale, 39, was the lead singer of the Toronto band, which resurrected classic soul songs such as Can't Stop and Still Believe in Love and put its twist on works by Radiohead, Curtis Mayfield and Sam Cooke.

In 2004, Neale performed the Guess Who song These Eyes in a tribute to the band as it was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Jacksoul won a SOCAN Award for R&B song of the year, a Canadian Urban Music Award for songwriter of the year and a 2007 Juno for best R&B recording for mySOUL.

Reaction from fellow musicians

"This guy was an extremely, extremely generous person … He only had positive energy about him. That's my recollection of him. Never, ever did I see any kind of jealousy out of him, or negativity." — Treble Charger vocalist-guitarist Greg Nori

"People who never had the chance to meet him were able to see that not just through his music, but just in how he carried himself, just the type of dude that he was." — Rapper Kardinal Offishall

"Hopefully his music will live on.…That's all any artist can hope." — Hedley guitarist Dave Rosin

"The Canadian music industry has truly lost an amazing, powerful performer." — Singer Gary Beals

With files from The Canadian Press

Neale is survived by his wife, Michaela, and daughter, Yasmin, as well as many other family and friends.

In a statement on the Jacksoul website, Neale's family said he maintained a positive spirit in the face of adversity, including serious head injuries in 2007 when his scooter was struck by a car.

"Through all these challenges, Haydain's sense of humour and love of music were ever-present," Michaela Neale said in the statement.

"He constantly brightened the room with his singing and his smile. His joyful presence and beautiful voice will be missed by us all."

A private family funeral is planned for later this week. Fans may send a message of condolence or share their memories of Neale by emailing the family at: haydainnealefamily@gmail.com

Before his death, Neale had completed work on Jacksoul's fifth album, which will be released Dec. 1.

The album, titled SOULmate, features 10 tracks largely written before his 2007 injury and recorded earlier this year. All proceeds will go to the Haydain Neale family trust.